Weather vane



Aug. 1, i948. w. AKERMAN' WEATHER VANE Filed Nov, 15, 1944 Patented Aug. 17 1948 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 1 WEATHER VANE Walt Alterman, Dover, N. H.

Application November 15, 1944, Serial No. 563,609

2 Claims.

This invention relates to weather vanes, wind gauges or like which are continuously exposed to the elements and must function very freely over long periods of time without requiring lubrication, repairs or servicing. A successful device of this nature should be substantially housed, free to operate without substantial friction and not subject to deteriorating actions that would impair the free and proper functioning of the device. The primary object of the invention is to provide an improved device of this character embodying novel self-contained ball-bearing features for effecting these functions.

My improved weather vane includes in its structure a top member which is entirely closed except for a downwardly directed tubular opening adapted to receive and house the supporting and bearing elements, and has embodied therein centrally disposed supporting abutments including a floating ball arranged to have point contact with adjacent abutments, one of which abutments is preferably a second and rigidly mounted ball, for supporting the top member and the units carried thereby. Furthermore the balls are preferably constructed of glass, plastic or like hard, non-metallic and non-corroding material which will not be affected by weather conditions or cause interference with the free and proper operation of the device. They are permanently housed in a self-contained ball-bearing Weather vane head.

In its more specific form the device of my invention includes a tubular top member or spindle taperingupwardly to a closed end and having a ball wedged therein, and a floating ball housed in the member beneath the rst ball and maintained by means of a supporting sleeve within the member. The tubular member is adapted to receive and -be supported on a vertical rod pass-V ing upwardly through the sleeve with its end engaging the floating ball. This construction has the advantage that it requires no lubrication throughout its life but supplies almost frictionless bearings for the moving parts of the device during years of use. The production of an improved Weather vane of this type and having free oating bearing contacts of the nature described comprises a further object of the invention.

These and other features of the invention will be best understood and appreciated from the following description of a preferred'embodiment thereof selected for purposes of illustration and shown in the accompanying drawing in which,

Fig. 1 is a sectional view longitudinally through my improved weather vane head and showing it in use on a supporting rod,

Fig. 2 is an exploded View of the parts,

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view of the assembly head. j

Referring now to the drawing by reference numerals, I0 indicates a tubular spindle tapered upwardly to a closed end and having an open cylindrical bottom portion. The spindle is preferably of copper nickel plated or constructed of a material adapted to resist corrosion and the elements. A ball I2, preferably of glass or like resistant material, is wedged securely into the tapered conical portion of the spindle. A second ball I4 is dropped into the spindle and is held therein by sleeve I6. The sleeve is soldered in the spindle and is so located that it maintains the ball I4 loosely Within the spindle and adjacent to and beneath the ball I2. The parts as thus assembled and illustrated in Fig. 3 comprise one form of novel and improved weather vane head embodying my invention.

The bottom end of the spindle I0 is flared ou wardly at I8 to provide a flange to receive solder 24 and also on which can be mounted a weather vane in the form of an arrow 20 or other design. The head assembly shown in Fig. 3 is adapted to be mounted on the top end of a rod 22 secured permanently to a roof, tower or other structure. The rod is passed upwardly into the spindle and through the sleeve I6 into contact with the lower ball I4 which is thereupon brought into contact with the ball I2 as shown in Fig. 1. The sleeve I6 serves as a guide on Ithe rod and the contact between the two balls and between the ball I4 and the rod provide an anti-friction bearing which supports the head for rotation on the rod with minimum friction and therefore permits the vane to turn in the slightest breeze.

Attention is particularly called to the simplicity of my improved assembly, the self-contained character of the vane head including ball bearings, and the complete housing of the bearings. Especial attention is also directed to the loose support of the ball I4 and the construction of the balls from a hard, non-metallic and noncorroding material. I prefer to employ glass balls since I have found that units thus constructed never require lubricating, do not corrode or tarnish and continue to operate with maximum freedom over long periods of time.

Having now disclosed my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A Weather vane head comprising a. tubular top member tapering upwardly to a closed end and'open at its bottom end, a ball wedged Within the tapering portion of the member and providing a centrally disposed abutment above said bottom end and entirely within the closed body of the tubular member, a second ball disposed within the member below the rst named ball, and tubular means below the second ball and disposed concentrically with respect to the central longitudinal axis of the top member for maintaining the second ball within the member n spaced relation from but free to'nioye into contact'with the -rst ball. Y

2. A Weather vane head comprising a tubular spindle tapering upwardly to a closed end and having an external vane-carrying flange at its lower open end, the body of the spindle being completely closed except at its lower ,end below said external flange, an abutment ball wedged securely into the tapered portion of said spindle, a second ball freely movable below said abutment ball, and an internal sleeve confining the lower ball within said spindle in a location above the The following references are of record in the le of Vthis patent:

, UNITED STATES ATENTS Number Name Date 15 1,093,062 Mellinger Apr. 14, 1914 11,670,308 Marden May 22, 1928 2,255,454 Rust Sept. 9, 1941 

